


Undercover Troubles

by codenametargeter



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi Series - Aaron Allston & Troy Denning & Christie Golden
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-29
Updated: 2013-05-29
Packaged: 2017-12-13 09:02:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/822500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/codenametargeter/pseuds/codenametargeter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zilaash Kuh may not be known to Luke Skywalker but Doran Tainer certainly recognised the bounty hunter trying to arrest Valin Horn.  (Fate of the Jedi: Outcast missing scene inspired by information in Mercy Kill)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Undercover Troubles

Doran Tainer was usually a relaxed and easy going person but tonight, his expression was that of a man who was less than pleased with the day’s events.  This afternoon’s incident had been less than stellar for a laundry list of reasons but there was only one he could confront directly.  So he’d done his research, changed into civilian clothes, hidden his lightsaber beneath a jacket, and slipped out of the Jedi Temple about half an hour ago.  Thus far, he’d gone unnoticed by the crowds of Coruscant or at least as unnoticed as a man of his height could go. 

The displeased expression had yet to vanish when he finally rapped his knuckles on the door of an apartment in a section of Coruscant he’d rarely ventured before.  The frown only deepened when a dark haired young woman opened the door.  Her expression went from surprise to a frown that mirrored his within seconds. 

“What the hell are you doing here?”

He raised an eyebrow at her greeting.  “We need to talk about this afternoon.”

She poked her head out the door and looked down the corridor.  “Were you followed?”  He shook his head.  “Get inside before someone sees you.”  She grabbed his arm and unceremoniously yanked him into the apartment, slapping the door controls shut behind him.  Her arms were crossed as she gritted her teeth.  “What are you doing here, Doran?”

“What am _I_ doing here?” he asked incredulously.  “What are _you_ doing here and more specifically, why is my little sister disguised as some bounty hunter and helping arrest one of our friends for Daala?”

Jesmin Tainer didn’t reply for a minute, merely continuing to glare up at her brother.  Finally, she said, “I’m undercover.”

It took Doran a few seconds to find his words again and once he did, all he came up with was, “You’re undercover?”

She rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm, expression relaxing into something closer to a smile.  “Are you going to repeat everything I say?”

“Ow.”  He rubbed the spot where she’d hit him, wrinkling his nose.  “No, I’m just trying to wrap my head around what the kriff my little sister’s been doing lately.”

“I’m going to get some water.  Do you want some too?” she asked, ignoring his question and moving away from the entrance into the small apartment. 

He threw his hands up in disgust and followed her.  “Sure.”

She grabbed two glasses from the tiny kitchen and filled them, taking a drink from hers as she passed him the other.  “Did you talk to Mom before you came here?”

Doran shook his head. “No, I didn’t want to tell her you’ve gone all dark bounty hunter on us.”

“I didn’t go ‘all dark’, it’s a cover!” Jesmin said, glaring at him over her glass before realising that he was teasing her.  “Ugh, you kriffing wookiee.”

He grinned, glad to finally get a flash of his normal sister again instead of this Zilaash Kuh person.  “Come on, Jezzie.  You have to tell me something about what’s going on.  Is this some sort of Hawkbat thing?”

“It. Is. A. Cover.”  She said the words slowly and deliberately as if speaking to someone who didn’t speak Basic.  “It’s the only way that I can investigate his death.”

“You still haven’t found them?” he asked, tone softening.

She shook her head.  “I keep running into dead ends or else someone keeps blocking me every time I get close.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”  His sympathy was genuine.  He couldn’t even begin to imagine what it might feel like to lose a fiancé to murder let alone still not know who was responsible almost three years later.  She acknowledged it with a half-smile.  “But why does your cover require you to do…” He waved wildly, searching for words again before lamely finishing with, “This!”

Jesmin didn’t reply, only shaking her head as she leaned against the counter.  “It’s not ideal.”  His expression must have been one of disbelief because she was quick to follow with, “Oh come on, Doran.  I know we haven’t seen each other in a year but do you really think I enjoyed today?”

“Your acting was convincing.”

That got an actual grin out of her.  “Diplomatically put.  You’re definitely Mom’s son.”

“Says the Antarian Ranger.”

“Seriously though, I don’t like this part of the job.”

Doran shook his head.  “Then why are you doing it?”

She took one last long drink of water before setting her glass down and shrugging helplessly.  “Because it’s a part of my cover.”

“You’ve got to give me something besides that same old reason.”  He could see her hesitating.  “Jesmin, I’m not going to tell anyone.”

There were a few long moments of silence as she seemed to gather her thoughts, expression looking distinctly unhappy although not at him.  “There’s a huge black-market ring that I think is responsible and I think it has some roots here on Coruscant.  GAS hired me and I couldn’t turn down the contract; not without compromising my cover or giving up an opportunity to get myself near the information trail that might help me.”  It was Doran’s turn to not immediately reply.  “Look, if I turned it down, there would just be someone else here in my place.”

It took another few long moments of silence before he finally said, “It was still pretty kriffing hard seeing you there today.”

He felt a ripple of concern flow off her through the Force.  “You didn’t tell anyone you recognised me, did you?”  He opened his mouth to respond but apparently it wasn’t fast enough because now she was standing up right with her arms crossed and looking incredibly worried.  “Doran!”

“I didn’t tell anyone!”

“Not Durron?  Not Skywalker?”

“I said _no one_.”

Jesmin let out a sight of relief, slumping a little bit.  “Good.”

Doran frowned, his own level of concern rising.  Setting his water on the counter beside hers, he placed a comforting hand on her upper arm.  “You’re worrying me, sis.”

“I need to find the people responsible.”

“So you have to do it like this?”

“How else am I supposed to?”

“Ask for help!”

“From who?”

“Your family!” he exclaimed.  “The Rangers, other Wraiths!”

Jesmin shook her head adamantly.  “I can’t.  The Rangers have their own problems to deal with so I took a leave of absence to deal with mine.  And you know that Daala disbanded the Wraiths.”

His expression was the picture of incredulity. “You don’t think that Dad and Face would help you investigate if you asked?”

“It’s a personal vendetta,” she replied, clearly unwilling to consider the idea.  “I’m not going to go running to Dad for help about everything.”

“Finding your fiancé’s killer isn’t just anything.”  The look she gave him was one that clearly said she wasn’t going to let this be an option.  Frustrated, he shrugged and threw up his hands.  “You’re not going to let anyone help you, are you?”

“I need to see this through,” Jesmin said, sidestepping the question.  “And if staying undercover as Zilaash is what helps me do that then that’s what I have to do.”

Doran shook his head, turning towards the door.  “I give up.  You know how to get a hold of me if you change your mind about any of this.”  He was prepared to simply leave when he remembered this was the first time he’d seen her in over a year and he paused midstep.  Turning, he covered the ground between them and pulled his sister into a tight hug.  There was a beat before she returned it.   As they broke apart, the siblings were wearing identical reluctant half-smiles.  He stepped back, reaching for the door.  “Stay safe, okay?”

“You too,” Jesmin said, expression and tone showing that she completely meant it.

As Doran slipped way into the Coruscant crowd, he realised that he wasn’t sure which one of them was going to be in more danger in the coming days.  It was that unsettling thought that followed him all the way back to the Jedi Temple.


End file.
